[fnord]

like I said, when did he clean the crime scene (which was also absent expected prints). still nothing to show he was ever in the VD house, right?

[Valpal1]

The house is not the only crime scene. And one would expect a kidnaper to take steps to avoid leaving prints, etc by wearing gloves and possibly a ski mask type head gear. So not having evidence of his presence in the home is not proof that he was never in it.

It is more important to tie the alleged perpetrator to the murder victim in this instance. Connecting the suspect to the victim through physical evidence will prove the murder charge, and proving the murder charge automatically proves the kidnaping, because of the circumstances under which her body was recovered.

The jury is not going to find him guilty of one charge, but not the other. They are inextricably linked.

The prosecution intends to prove the murder,and ask the jury to make the reasonable assumption that he kidnaped her in order to do so. It doesn't matter if he took her from her room or found her wandering on the street. It's still kidnap.

Whether the prosecution is successfully making their case is still very open. (not to mention, how well the defense will parry when it's their turn).

JMO